DUNGUIB MAY have put up the finest performance many have seen from a novice in years when he won at Leopardstown last month, but better could be about to come at Cheltenham.

The odds-on Irish festival banker in the Supreme Novices Hurdle got an upbeat bulletin yesterday from trainer Philip Fenton, who also revealed he feels Dunguib was not at his peak in last month’s Deloitte.

“Going into it we felt he might have been a bit flat, not as good at Leopardstown as we felt he could have been. He was a little bit flatter than he normally would be,” Fenton said.

“But he is bouncing at the moment, a real livewire.”

Dunguib is as low as 4 to 6 favourite for the Supreme Novices Hurdle after months of speculation about a possible late switch to the Champion Hurdle.

Fenton also said the horse will definitely run in the novice event at Cheltenham.

“If he had jumped a bit slicker at Leopardstown we might have considered the Champion Hurdle after that.

“But his performance at Leopardstown made us stick to the novice route,” he said.

“His jumping could have been better at Leopardstown, but he has schooled since and we have been very happy with him,” Fenton added.

He also dismissed concerns about sore shins that had been raised by the former champion jockey, turned television pundit, John Francome.

“Thankfully he has never suffered from sore shins, even as a young horse, so we can eliminate what John Francome said. I can guarantee he has never suffered from sore shins.

“He currently has two people keeping an eye on him in the yard in shifts, and that will continue until he leaves,” he said.

“I’m not all that concerned about travelling over there. He coped last year and got on okay.

“He used to get a bit panicky when he got on the box first, but he doesn’t get excited in the lorry now.”

Dunguib is unbeaten in four start over hurdles this season and his Deloitte victory provoked comparisons with the legendary Golden Cygnet, who landed the Supreme in spectacular style in 1978.